The smell wafts up from the handwoven, indigo-dyed cotton cloth as I’m ironing it. It’s an unmistakable odor—a little sweet, a little pungent. If you’ve dyed with indigo, you know this smell and you understand the magical, transformative process of this dye.

Many people have been taken in by indigo’s magic. You don’t have to be a dyer to experience it. I witnessed it last year, sitting in a packed Santa Fe theater for the release of Mary Lance’s captivating documentary, “Blue Alchemy: Stories of Indigo”. This film weaves together stories of indigo’s cultural traditions and people who are reviving it. The collective “ohs and ahs” from the viewers confirmed indigo’s magical powers taking hold. (Click here to view trailer.)

Here’s a simplified version of the dye process: Once the dyebath is prepared, it’s a deep, rich blue with scum on top.

Stirring the indigo bath; scum forming on top

The first dipping in the indigo vat; the cloth is light teal green.

After dipping the cloth into the bath and removing it, the cloth is a pale teal green. But once the air starts to oxygenate the cloth, it turns blue.

As the air oxygenates the cloth, it starts to turn from green to blue.

The more dips into the bath, the darker the cloth becomes.

After repeated dippings in the indigo bath, the cloth gets darker and darker.

So are you now intrigued to try it yourself? Take a simple route and use earthues indigo dye kit. And if you also want to learn more about this dark beauty, buy the video too. You’ll be forever changed by this magical process.

About ClothRoads

Travel with us on ClothRoads to a world of authentic textile culture. Here you’ll find folk and collectible textiles, accessories, fabric, and fiber art materials from many corners of the globe, along with fascinating stories of indigenous artisans and ancient techniques used in traditional and modern ways. From the rivers of India to the mountaintops of Peru, we go directly to villages and cooperatives to bring you these textile stories and the work of skilled artisans who are dyeing, weaving, spinning, printing and embroidering some of world’s most beautiful objects. When you purchase from ClothRoads, you help us to build and develop new markets that allow artisans and communities, especially women and girls, to flourish.